Chapter 308 Mao Mao's brother is the most amazing!
Maomao's story is a huge hit!
On the first day of release, not only Mao Mao, but everyone in the family went to the bookstore. Lou Hongjian was the most extravagant; he kept his word and actually bought a hundred copies to distribute to his friends.
He gave a copy to everyone he knew. Lou Sanshao had a wide circle of friends, and one hundred copies weren't enough, so he ordered another one hundred from the bookstore.
The Lou family home became a mini autograph session for Lou Yansui.
The pen tip writes beautiful blessings on the blank title page, and at the end, leaves its own cursive signature.
Lou Yansui put away the fountain pen—the same one Mao Mao had given him before—he blew on the ink on the pages and handed the book back to his sister: “Here you go, Mao Mao.”
Mao Mao's eyes sparkled as she took the gift with both hands and thanked him happily, saying, "Thank you, brother."
Lou Hongjian glanced at it; it was also a blessing, but the one written for Mao Mao was already a short essay, almost filling the entire page with all the beautiful blessings he could write.
Lou Hongjian looked at the signed book in his hand and began to nitpick: "Ah Sui, some of the books I saw in the bookstore before were hardcover, with beautiful covers and thick pages. Why is your book design so flimsy? Why don't you come to me for a design next time? I'll do it for you for free."
“Hardcover books are expensive and are generally kept for collection purposes, which is not conducive to mass distribution,” Lou Yansui said. “The editor of the newspaper told me that this is only the first book in the Mao Mao series. If it sells well, the second and third books will be released. Maybe in the future, the hardcover version you mentioned will be released.”
Lou Hongjian's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Then remember to ask me to draw the illustrations when the time comes!"
"you?"
"What? You look down on me?" Lou Hongjian raised his chin and said with arrogance, "Your third brother is a famous Western painter. Do you know how many people outside are begging to buy my paintings? It's only because you are my brother that I don't let you wait in line."
Lou Yansui shook her head: "I don't mean to look down on you, it's just that Mao Mao's style is different from your Western painting style."
Lou Hongjian: "..."
For example, the illustrations on the cover of the storybook "Maomao" are childlike and cute, and although Lou Hongjian's Western paintings are well done, they are not liked by the book's audience.
He was immediately discouraged, and reached out to vent his anger by ruffling his younger brother's head, messing up his hair.
"Hey! Third Brother!"
Not only at home.
When Lou Yansui arrived at the school and entered the classroom, she heard a commotion.
"Quickly, Ah Sui is here."
"Our great writer has arrived!"
Lou Yansui glanced sideways and, sure enough, it was Jiang Cheng and the others who were leading the commotion.
Jiang Cheng, also holding a cheap book, approached with a fawning smile: "Ah Sui, could you sign this for me?"
"I want one too!"
“Ah Sui, you can’t just sign for Jiang Cheng, we are also loyal readers of Mao Mao.”
"Yes, I follow the serialized stories in the newspaper every day."
The boys surrounded Lou Yansui; they had all bought Mao Mao's books and were now waiting for autographs.
Since learning that Lou Yansui was serializing her story in the newspaper, many students curiously flipped through the pages. It turned out that quite a few had become readers of this fairy tale, eagerly awaiting each new update.
Now that Maomao's story is published, they naturally have the advantage of being in a good position to ask for an autograph from the author of one of their favorite stories!
Lou Yansui was so busy that he couldn't get away, so he had to sign autographs one by one. The time before the first class started became his autograph session again.
"Lou Yansui, here's mine too." Another book was handed over.
Lou Yansui's autograph signing had become a conditioned reflex. She glanced up at the person who had come, and then smoothly wrote her blessings for her classmate on the white paper with her pen, leaving her signature.
After he finished writing, he realized what was happening and went back to check: "He Mingshu?"
He Mingshu held up his autographed book and said, "Thank you, I will keep it safe."
"...Why did you buy my book too?"
A book isn't cheap these days. Although Maomao's story is very popular, the print run is just a drop in the ocean compared to Haicheng's huge population.
It was one thing for young masters like Jiang Cheng to buy things just to join in the fun, since they weren't short of pocket money anyway. But Lou Yansui knew that He Mingshu's family wasn't well-off; he and his widow ran a wonton stall, and a bowl of wontons only cost a few copper coins.
I don't know how many bowls of wontons I'd have to sell to earn back the cost of one book.
It's really unnecessary to waste money just to support a classmate.
Lou Yansui looked at him disapprovingly and reached out to ask him for the book: "Sell me the book..."
He Mingshu quickly dodged his movement and explained, "Lou Yansui, I am also your reader."
"My readers?"
“Really, I really like your story too. I read the serialized version in the newspaper every day.” To prove his point, He Mingshu told him about the latest installments: “I bought the book so I could read it to my mother. She likes the story very much too.”
Lou Yansui: "..."
His fingers curled up, and he unconsciously rubbed his fingertips.
“Yeah, yeah, Asui.” Jiang Cheng put his arm around his shoulder. “Your stories are so well-written, we all genuinely love them. Don’t be modest, come on—there’s another one here, sign it quickly!”
Lou Yansui pursed her lips, looked up at He Mingshu, quickly thanked him, and lowered her eyes to continue writing blessings for her classmates.
"Ah Sui, a student from Class 5 asked me if you could sign his autograph?"
Lou Yansui: "...Okay, please ask him to come over after class."
"Okay!"
"Unfortunately, I went to the bookstore yesterday, but it was too late, and I couldn't buy it. Otherwise, I would have liked Lou Yansui to sign it for me."
Jiang Cheng and his friends were proud to have their friend's story published and become so popular, and their faces lit up with pride.
"Ah Sui, after school we'll go to the Moon Fairy Restaurant and celebrate for you properly, this is amazing!"
Lou Yansui readily agreed: "Okay, it's on me."
"Then we won't stand on ceremony, haha!"
Meanwhile, at Mao Mao's kindergarten...
Mao Mao was also very proud and extremely proud. From the moment she entered the school gate, she would show a big, sweet smile to everyone she met. Anyone who saw her could tell that she had encountered a very happy event.
Mao Mao is a little girl who wants to share any happy news with everyone.
So, when all the children had arrived and were playing freely in the classroom, doing crafts, drawing, or building blocks, she took out the books she had brought from her schoolbag.
"Teacher Ye Ye!"
Mao Mao ran over with the book in her arms, looking at her expectantly: "Can you read me a story?"
How could anyone refuse such a lovely little girl's request?
"Of course," Teacher Ye said to the other children, "Which children want to hear a story?"
Many children gathered around and sat down in a circle around Teacher Ye.
Xu Yizhao reached into his pocket, pulled out two pieces of candy, put one in his own mouth, and handed the other to Mao Mao: "Mao Mao, do you want some?"
Mao Mao blinked.
"Xu Yizhao!" Teacher Ye immediately came over and confiscated his candy: "Snacks are not allowed in kindergarten!"
Xu Yizhao obediently handed it over.
But he still had one candy in his mouth, slowly savoring it. Because his movements were subtle, he didn't get noticed by Teacher Ye Ye, secretly carrying out his plan right under her nose.
He always manages to eat some of the snacks he brings with him every day.
Mao Mao stared at him with wide eyes, looking completely bewildered.
Wow, it can actually be like this?
"Ahem." Teacher Ye cleared her throat and began reading the story: "This is a storybook brought by Lou Queyin. Everyone should remember to thank her. The main character of this story is named Maomao. Maomao has a kitten that looks like a tiger. One day, they..."
Let's start reading from the beginning of the story.
This was originally a fairy tale written for children, and the children quickly became engrossed in it. Gradually, other children scattered throughout the classroom gathered around Teacher Ye to listen to the story.
After the first story was finished, Teacher Ye looked up again and met countless bright, sparkling eyes.
One after another, childish requests emerged.
"Teacher Ye, I want to hear more."
"What happened next, Teacher Ye? Did Maomao and his kitten get caught by bad guys?"
"I know, my mom told me this story too," one child said loudly. "My mom tells it to me every day!"
The other children exclaimed, "Wow!"
Teacher Ye often tells stories to the students in the small class, but this is the first time the effect has been so good.
All the children listened attentively to the story, and even the most mischievous ones didn't cause any trouble.
Teacher Ye immediately turned to the next page: "Then I'll read one more to everyone."
Okay~
They read one after another.
Until the morning activity class ended, all the children became Teacher Ye's little shadows.
"Teacher Ye, read it again, just one more time."
"Teacher Ye, we'd like to hear more of Maomao's story."
Mao Mao held her head high, and with each word the child spoke, her non-existent tail wagged its head a little more.
Before long, her tail was held high, and she eagerly announced loudly, "This was written by my brother!"
"Mao Mao's story was written by my brother! He even serialized it in the newspaper in Haicheng. Tens of thousands of people read my brother's stories. My brother is a great writer!"
Mao Mao was extremely proud, patting herself with her little hands: "He's Mao Mao's older brother!"
Children: "Wow!!!"
Soon, all the little followers who had been surrounding Teacher Ye all gathered around Mao Mao.
The storyteller also changed from Teacher Ye to Mao Mao.
Mao Mao: "My brother can not only write stories, but he can also take exams. He always gets 100 points and is number one!"
Children: "Wow!!!"
Mao Mao: "My brother can also play the piano, and he plays it so well, even better than Teacher Ye Ye. He knows so many things, my brother is the smartest brother in the whole world!"
Children: "Wow!!!"
Teacher Ye: "..."
With the last bit of candy crumb in his mouth, Xu Yizhao said with an admiring look, "Mao Mao, your brother is so amazing! I want a brother as amazing as that too."
Mao Mao proudly declared, "Mao Mao has four older brothers, and each of them is very capable!"
Children: "Wow!!!"
Mao Mao is the star of the kindergarten.
The next day, it was Lou Yansui's turn to pick up Mao Mao from school.
As soon as he picked up his younger sister, he received countless stares from other children. Their bright little eyes looked at him as if he were a giant panda at the zoo, full of enthusiasm.
As he led Mao Mao away, holding her little hand, many children greeted him.
"Goodbye, Mao Mao. Goodbye, Mao Mao's brother."
Lou Yansui was completely bewildered.
He only managed to escape those enthusiastic gazes after the car drove away.
Look at my little sister next to me, happily swinging her little feet.
Needless to say, it must have been Mao Mao who did something.
Lou Yansui patted his younger sister's head.
He thought to himself: I hope I didn't embarrass Mao Mao.
...
Wait until Sunday.
Mao Mao carried her small satchel on her back and went out holding her mother's hand.
Xia Xiaoxiang hadn't learned to drive yet, so she didn't dare to drive on the street, let alone drive with Mao Mao in the car. So she hailed a rickshaw and went out.
Our first stop was a bookstore to buy books.
It was the same bookstore, and I was still buying Maomao's Story.
A poster of Maomao's story was still pasted on the door of the bookstore, except that the yellow tabby cat had an extra note on it that read 'New book has arrived'.
It turns out that Maomao's story has already sold out once in the last two days!
Mao Mao, familiar with the place, bought a new book, placed it on the empty seat next to her, took out a pen, and began to write on the blank title page.
Having just made the first stroke, Mao Mao paused, then looked up and asked, "Mother, how do you write '赠' (zèng)?"
Xia Xiaoxiang stared at her, wide-eyed: "I can't write it either."
This character has too many strokes; the mother and daughter haven't learned it yet.
Mao Mao looked down at the book, then looked up at her mother, and pursed her lips.
Xia Xiaoxiang gave her a suggestion: "How about this, you write 'For Sophie'."
The character '送' is simpler than '赠', and Mao Mao can write it.
Mao Mao nodded and slowly wrote on the title page.
This book is for Sophie.
Of course, she didn't forget to tell Sophie about the publication of Maomao's story. While at the holiday villa, Sophie also became one of Maomao's little readers.
However, after making the call, she learned that Sophie's city didn't yet have Maomao's Stories for sale. How could that be? As Sophie's most loyal fan, Maomao immediately went to buy her a gift.
Following her brother's example, she wrote a blessing on the title page: For Sophie...
Mao Mao raised her head again: "Mother, how do you write the character 'give'?"
A soft laugh came from behind: "Mao Mao, let me teach you."
Mao Mao turned her head and saw Shen Zhaolin standing at the entrance of the bookstore, smiling at her.
"uncle!"
Shen Zhaolin walked over quickly. He nodded politely to Xia Xiaoxiang, then bent down and smiled at Mao Mao, saying, "It's been a long time, Mao Mao."
Mao Mao said happily, "Uncle, are you here to buy books too? Are you here to buy Mao Mao's stories?"
"Haha, I'm here to support Lou Yansui's story as soon as it's published. I'm here to buy other books." Shen Zhaolin asked, "Maomao, is there any word you don't know? I'll teach you."
There are many characters that Mao Mao doesn't know.
She read aloud what she wanted to write to Sophie, and Shen Zhaolin wrote it down on a piece of white paper, then had her imitate it.
After Mao Mao slowly finished writing, stroke by stroke, he took the time to ask the bookstore owner if they had the book he wanted, and finally came back empty-handed.
With her mother's help, Mao Mao packed the book and mailed it from the nearby post office. Shen Zhaolin even helped her write the mailing address, his handwriting was very beautiful.
Watching her package being taken away with longing eyes, Mao Mao reluctantly looked away.
"Uncle, didn't you want to buy books?" Mao Mao asked with concern, "Did you buy your books?"
Shen Zhaolin sighed in disappointment: "I couldn't find it. I've searched almost every bookstore in Haicheng, but it seems that the book is out of print and unavailable."
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